The objecitve of this project is to develop standardized and easily reproduced gel electrophoresis procedures, reference patterns and interpretative procedures, and the required data base from over 200 species, for routine and rapid identification of clinical bacterial isolates. Potentially, this system can replace or partially replace the battery of biochemical cultural tests and many different media now required for accurate identification of bacteria. Emphasis is placed on development of a simple procedure that is applicable in both large and small clinical laboratories to effect a substantial saving in labor and material (laboratory costs), and analytical time (faster information for improved patient care at reduced costs). In addition to major savings in time and cost of identification, electrophoretic patterns show promise of more accurate bacterial identification than is obtained with most current identification systems using classical phenotypic tests.